Aerating system for ice cans



March 26, 1929. J. A. MARTOCELLO AERATING SYSTEM FOR ICE CANS Filed Feb. 15, 19 27 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. A. MARTOCELLO AERATING SYSTEM FOR 1cm ems Filed Feb. 15, 192'? March 26, 1929.

Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

v v PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. MARTOCELLO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AEBATING SYSTEM FOR ICE CANS.

Application filed February 15, 1927. Serial No. 168,266.

My invention relates to can baskets for use in making ice and has particular reference to the air connection of can baskets.

A purpose of my invention is to fasten an air lateral permanently along the outside of a can basket near the top thereof.

A further purpose is to supply a tube construction from a can basket air lateral with a high-pressure orifice between the lateral and tube adapted to easy removal for cleaning.

A further purpose is to provide removable nozzle connection between an air lateral permanently fastened to the outside of a can basket and a permanent tube inside a'can providing upwardly directed sockets in the lateral and in the tube and either flexibly or rigidly connected. nozzles fitting the respective sockets,- with a'high-pressure orifice in the up-streamend'of one of the nozzles.

A further purpose is to provide a feed control valve from a lateral with stuffing box connection to an air tube and with a highpressure orifice removable for cleaning.

A further purpose is to feed an air lateral I fastened to a basket through a nozzle flexibly connected to the lateral and fitting into an air check valve on an air header during freezing and into a pocket on the basket during handling of the basket.

Further purposes will appear in the specification-and in the claims.- a a I have preferred to show one main form only of my invention with a slight modifica tion and have selected a form that is practical and eflicient in operation and which illustrates particularly well the principles in volved. v

. Figure 1 is a broken perspective view illustrating one form of my invention adapted to a can basketof the shell cooler type.

Figure 2 is abroken fra mentary section taken upon theline 22 of Figure 1 to enlarged scale.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modification.

Figure '3 is a fragmentary section taken upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of an aircheck which maybe used on the basket.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectionycorree a a the side plates are placed between successive sponding to line 3-3 but showing a-second form.

Figure '6 is a sectionalelevation-of a part of Figureo, the section'being upon line 6 6.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective showing the air lateral inside the basket.

Figure 8 is the fragmentary side elevation of the connection with the lateral seen in Figure 7.

is lifted away from the freezing floor and transferred first to a thawing tank where it is dipped into warm water until the ice is thawed loose from the cans and then to the dump where thebasket is inclined or tipped over until the ice slides from the cans. The cans of the unit are then refilled with water and the unit is taken back to the freezing floor for the freezing of another batch of ice.

The types ofbasket varyconsiderably but in this application I' have illustrated my invention as applied to a basket of theshell cooler type though I am aware that it is well adapted to use with other types of basket.

In the shell type cooler the brine of the freezing tank is continuously circulated through the cooler and around the tank to freeze the water in the ice cans. The cans of a basket unit do not have to be spaced from one another to any extent as coils between adjacent cans.

The ce can basket of Figure 1 comprises a frame structure 15 around the upper ends of the top of the can.

there are no the short sides of the cans and transverse tie rods 21 between the side plates engage and jacent sides'of two cans.

' The transverse supporting tie rods between cans except wherereplaced nearone end of the'basket'by' the lifting plates 23 and 24. and

near the other end of the basket by lifting 95 The'side' plates 18 and 19 carry metalstrips plates and 26. Each of these lifting plates carries a strip 27 engaging and supporting the bottom of the band of its adjacent can.

The lifting plates are shown between the first and second cans from each end and have their ends firmly fastened tothe side plates. The plates of each pair carry between them a lifting pin 28 for engagement by a suitable hook for use in transferring the basket from place to place. i The cans are firmly supported at their tops 29 by structure which firmly fastens the cans against movement through the top of the basket during tipping.

In the structure shown in Figure 1 an air lateral 30 is fastened along the outside of one of the side plates with an inlet portion 31 bent at right angles to extend part way across the end can, to which it is suitably fastened. as by means of a bracket 32 upon the can band.

There is'flexible connection 33 between the lateral fastened to the bracket and a permanent air header 34 upon the freezing floor.

The flexible connection 33 is permanently fastened at one end and disconnected at the other before lifting the basket from the freezing floor and when disconnected both the lateral and header should preferably be sealedthe lateral against entry of water or dirt during tipping, thawing and filling and the header against escape of air. 7

In Figure 1 the flexible connection 83 is permanently fastened to the header and the inlet fitting 35 upon the lateral has a taper socket 36 which receives a corresponding taper nozzle 3? on the end of the. connection 33, (see Figure 4).

A sealing pocket 38 tapered to fit the nozzle is mounted in a convenient place on the floor to receive and seal the nozzle 37 when disconnected from the fitting 35 and the fitting 35 is provided with a ball check 39 springpressed toward its seat 40 to seal the opening into the fitting.

When inserted into the socket 36 the end of the taper nozzle 37 pushes back the ball 39 and air enters the lateral through slots 41 in the end of thenozzle. These slots avoid any sealing of the nozzle by the ball.

When the freezing operation is over the nozzle 87 is taken out of the check fitting and inserted into the sealing pocket upon the floor structure-of the tank, the check fitting automatically closing as the nozzle is taken out.

The lateral passing through the side plate 18 makes a right bend and extends horizontally along the outside of the side plate to feed the cans of the basket.

The drop tubes are illustrated in Figure 1 are permanently fastened in one corner of each of the cans, the top of each air tube being provided with a taper socket 42.

Removable connection is made from the lateral to each of the air tubes.

As illustrated in Figure 2 a ferrule 43 having tapered interior 44 is inserted into the top of the lateral, and the nozzles 45 and 46 fit the sockets of the tube and ferrule and are flexibly connected together at 47.

The nozzles extend upwardly and are then bent to present horizontal facing shanks 48 and 49 above the lateral, the nozzle 45 is bent in a horizontal plane to pass through a suitable perforation 50 in the side plate and is then bent downwardly to enter the air tube.

The shanks 48 and 49 are-corrugated to maintain firm hold upon the flexible connection 47. v

Desirably a high-pressure orifice 51 is provided in the approach end of one of the nozzles or 46, shown in the figure as in the double elbow nozzle 45.

There is some advantage in having the high-pressure orifice in the double bend elbow nozzle 45 rather than in the elbow nozzle 46 in that the air then enters the nozzle 46 at much lower velocity than would be the case if the small orifice were in the nozzle 46, which results in less tendency for dirt to enter the line of the air tube.

In Figure 2 1 have shown the flexible pipe 4'? connected with the lateral by the elbow fitting 49 which is threaded into the lateral instead of being a friction fitting in a nipple therein. The connection shown with the flexible tube may be of any suitable form.

In Figures 5 and 6 I have shown a connec tion between the lateral and the air'tub'e containing a removable section of small diameter which section can be removed-not only to' make the diameter adjustable by replace'n'ient of sect ons having different diameters butto clean out trapped foreign matterwhich may clog the section. p I

Within the lateral is screwed a fitting 52 having a small opening 53 well above the bottom of the tube to keep it out of the line of dirt and scale. The upper end of the fitting is provided with a seat 54which may taper if desired and which receivesthe end 55 of a ll connection 56. The other end 57 of the U fits into the air tube.

About the end 55 of the U connection I form a stufling box containing packing 58 tightened about the tube by nut 59 screwed upon the exterior thread 60 of the fitting.

Between the lateral and the end 55 of the t! I provide a tapered transverse bore 61 for a tapered plug 62 which may be turned byhandle 63 so as to act as acut off valve in position at right angles to that shown in Figure 6 changing the fitting where these conditions change or are found not to be as anticipated.

The U passes through any suitable opening such as that shown at but need not be extended laterally as at 48 since the fitting with which it is to connect can be located directly outside of the opening 50. This opening, of course, for either form must give enough room for the seating of the member 45 within the tube in the one case and for seating the U within the tube and fitting in the other.

In Figures 7 and 8 the air, lateral is placed within the basket and connection with the tubes in the cans is made through a valve fitting of the same character as that seen in Figure 6, but connecting into the-bottom of the lateral and extending downwardly, as distinguished from the connection with the top of the lateral and extension upwardly seen in Figure 6. The terminal from the fitting is intended to fit directly into the top of one of the tubes 66 within the can.

The lateral will be permanently attached to the inside of the basket, ordinarily to the side frame, when it is desired to leave the lateral in connection with the tubes, relying upon the taper of the cans to ensure that: the ice will clear the lateral when the ice is being emptied from the cans, but will be removed along with the terminals 65 where the designer desires to clear the interior of the basket at the top from all fittings which might break this ice or impede it in its movement from the cans.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless be- Having thus descrlbed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. In an ice can basket, a frame work, a plurality of cans supported thereby, a lateral upon the outside of thebasket, rigidly attached thereto, means for connecting thelateral with a header, an air tube for each can rigidly fastened against a wall of the can and air connection for each can from the tube to the lateral passing through an aperture in the frame work.

2. In an ice can basket, a pair ofsides, one of them apertured, connection between the sides forming a frame, cans supported in the frame, a lateral. rigidly secured at the outside of the side having the apertures, an air pipe for each can, adjacent an aperture and secured inthe corner of the can, a nozzle and.

- pipe for each air pipe extending upwardly.

from the pipe, outwardly through the corresponding aperture and then in the general direction of the length of the lateral, a flexible tube thereon and a nozzle connected with said tube and fitting into the lateral.

3. In an air can basket having side frame walls, one of which is apertured opposite the frame walls, a lateral along the outside of the apertured side wall, a plurality of air pipes one against a wall of each can terminating in a tapered opening and a plurality of connections between the respective pipes and the laterals, each comprising a tapered nozzle .70 can, a plurality of cans between the sidefitting the pipe, extending downwardly through the corresponding opening and then parallel with the lateral, a fitting for each connection engaging with the lateral and a flexible tube connected between the fitting and the nozzle.

4. In an ice can basket having side frame walls, one of, which is apertured opposite each can, a plurality of cans in the basket, a lateral along the apertured side wall having outlet openings spaced, longitudinally of the a lateral, from the apertures, a plurality of air pipes, one in the corner of each can and terminating in a tapered opening'and a plurality of connections between the respective pipesand the laterals comprising each a tapered nozzle fitting in the pipe, extending upwardly and outwardly through the corresponding opening, then parallel with the lateral, a flexible tube connected with the nozzle and a connectionrbetween the other end of the flexible tube and the lateral outlet.

5. In an ice can aerating system, side frame walls, an ice can, a lateral, a tube in the can, and a connection between the tube and lateral extending upwardly from each and passing through one of the walls.

6.In acan basket, a frame work for the basket, a plurality of cans therefor, a plurality of air tubes, one for each; can, having upwardly directed sockets, a lateral extending past the cans and having an upwardly directed socket for each can and anair connection between each socket of the lateral and the corresponding air tube, passing through the frame, flexible at an intermedlate point,

and having a nozzle at one end.

7. In a can basket structure, a framework for the basket apertured at one side, a plurality of cans therein, aplurality of air tubes fixed in the cans close to the apertures at the one'side of the frame, a lateral along the' outside of theframe and flexible connections engageable at one end with the lateral to secure air supply, and terminating at the passage en'din laterally and downwardly directed nozzles for engagement with the respective tubes. JOSEPH A. MARTOCELLO. 

